Yankees can pivot to .712 OPS Reds catcher if Ryan Jeffers, Hunter Goodman trades don't work

The New York Yankees are in hot pursuit of a new starting catcher this season, as they've been heavily linked to some of the top names on the market this summer.

Ryan Jeffers of the Minnesota Twins and Hunter Goodman of the Colorado Rockies are the two the Yankees are most often linked to. But the Rockies might not trade Goodman, and the Twins might be contenders, and keep Jeffers.

If that happens, which is fairly realistic, the Yankees can pivot to Cincinnati Reds .712 OPS catcher Tyler Stephenson as an alternative option, according to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic.

Yankees can pivot to Tyler Stephenson as trade target if Jeffers, Goodman talks don't work

"The Cincinnati Reds' Tyler Stephenson, one catcher who is available, might become an alternative for the Yankees, and other teams are pursuing Minnesota Twins' Ryan Jeffers," Rosenthal and Sammon write.

While Jeffers has the better season-long numbers, Stephenson has been hot as of late. As Sammon and Rosenthal note, Stephenson has a ".928 OPS in his last 27 games entering Thursday."

Stephenson is 29 years old and hitting free agency after the 2026 MLB season. It's the same situation as Jeffers, but instead of the Twins being fringe contenders, the Reds are prepared to sell.

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Adding the veteran catcher, who has a .712 OPS this season in 77 games with 1.2 bWAR, 50 hits, 21 runs scored, 12 doubles, eight home runs, 27 RBIs, and a .244 batting average with a 94 OPS+.

While those aren't overly impressive numbers, like Jeffers' 2.1 bWAR and .950 OPS this season, or Goodman's 31 homers, Stephenson would be a significant upgrade over Austin Wells and the Yankees' other catchers.

More importantly, Stephenson is likely readily available for trade. If the Yankees want a starting catcher, Stephenson might be their best option, with the other top options not looking like likely trade candidates.

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